John David Duggar, 28, has entered a courtship with Abbie Burnett. The pair broke the news on TLC, home of the Duggar show Counting On, with him saying, “Abbie and I are just so excited.”

How did they meet? Well, they had “known each other for several years” but “didn’t meet” (we know — kind of confusing) until John, a pilot, flew to Oklahoma, where Abbie, a nurse, is from, for a church event and they bonded. “We really got connected then,” she said.

The church event was just a few months ago, so it’s a high-speed romance. “We fell in love very quickly,” said John, who’s the third child of extreme procreating pair Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. “It’s been a wonderful journey thus far, and we’re taking the next step to move on to a courtship.” In the next few months there will be a lot of prayer, a lot of counsel, and a lot of time together, they previewed. (A July 2017 People magazine article about the Duggars’ rules for dating and marriage explains what courtship means to the Duggars. From the article: “The Duggars don’t ‘date,’ they ‘court,’ oldest brother Josh told People in 2014. ‘A courtship is a path toward marriage.’ During the courtship period, possible mates spend time together with family members there to supervise, never alone.”)

John David Duggar and Abbie Burnett are in a courtship. He presented her with a heart-shaped necklace to seal the deal. (Image: TLC)

They didn’t hint at how long it would be until they took the next step and got engaged, but Duggar courtships are getting shorter and shorter. When Josh and Anna courted more than a decade ago, their courtship went on for more than two years. Jessa was in a courtship with Ben Seewald for about 10 months. Jill Duggar was in one with Derick Dillard for five months. More recently, Joseph Duggar proposed to Kendra Duggar 80 days after they started courting, and Josiah Duggar became engaged to Laura Swanson 41 days after they started theirs.